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Jul 25

Take the August Recess Challenge to Stop Extinction and Help Stop Congress from Gutting the Endangered Species Act!

The Endangered Species Act is one of the country’s most important and powerful conservation laws. It has a whopping 99 percent success record at preventing the extinction of species in its care and has helped to save iconic American wildlife such as bald eagles, peregrine falcons, gray whales, green sea turtles, and grizzly bears, just to name a few.

Alarmingly, Congress is considering multiple pieces of legislation that could radically weaken this bedrock law. Congress needs to know that Americans do not support these efforts. By taking the Stop Extinction Challenge, you can help to protect the Endangered Species Act and the plants, fish, and animals it protects.

An astounding 24 bills attacking the Endangered Species Act (ESA) have already been introduced to the House of Representatives and Senate this session. Included among them are bills to legislatively delist wolves in as many as four states, slash funding for recovery programs, and even to turn listing decisions over to politicians at the state level instead of scientists.

The August Stop Extinction Challenge will help to stop these bills and allow you to take your advocacy for wildlife to the next level. There is also a cool prize or two if you complete each step!

The first step is to commit to meet with your senator or representative or their staff by requesting a meeting in August.

Step 1: Visit your senator’s or representative’s local office or attend a town hall

When congressional staff members are asked, they will tell you that one of the most effective ways to help shape the outcome of legislation is to meet in person with the congressperson or their staff. While calls, emails, and tweets are very important, the act of physically voicing your concerns reigns supreme.

Members of Congress will be home in their states and districts for at least the last two weeks of August. This is our collective opportunity to stop these bills and keep the Endangered Species Act intact. Please take the first step in the August Stop Extinction Challenge and find an office or town hall and commit to go and make your voice heard!

Step 2: Call your senators

Calls into Congress have made a difference in past legislative fights. It only takes a minute of your time to make a call and can help to save endangered species. We will provide talking points and connect you with the office of your senators. You just need to pick up the phone!

Step 4: Submit a letter to the editor of your local paper

Submitting a letter-to-the-editor is an almost certain way to get your elected officials’ attention. Everyone in Congress reads their local papers (or has staff read them) and when constituents write about matters before them, they take notice. Especially if you mention them by name. Click the button to go to a page where we’ll match you with your local paper and provide a draft letter for you to edit and send.

Step 5: Tell us how it went and we’ll send you a prize!

Now that you’ve taken action online, take action offline by going to that meeting or walk-in office visit! Let us know you have scheduled a meeting here and report back on how it went here. If you complete all of the actions, we will send you an “I Stopped Extinction” tote bag as a small token of thanks for your efforts!

33 Comments on Take the August Recess Challenge to Stop Extinction and Help Stop Congress from Gutting the Endangered Species Act!

Why do we keep having this conversation?! Every time the Republicans gain control they want to start killing endangered animals. Why aren’t Republicans environmentalists? What is so important that they want to help extinguish another beautiful creature from the Earth?
The only species that need extinction are in Washington.

What kind of world do you want to leave for those in the future? Especially your family members? We are only visitors on this planet for a moment. We have no business ruining the natural heritage of this country. We are all living on borrowed time. Is this dangerous, useless need to ruin our environment for greed worth it? NO! If that is the legacy you (all elected officials) want to leave, then you have no right being in the leadership position that you (elected representatives) have taken. Leaderships skills include thinking about others, and not just bout yourselves, and your campaign friends. We are living amongst others, but sadly we are losing wildlife at an alarming rate. That is sad. This country, this world will be one depressing place to live without seeing other beautiful species we live, and share this world, this country with. We have also only touched on how we much we know about the wildlife we share this world with. Humans have a lot to learn from wildlife. To lose them to the greed, and selfishness of humans is quite pathetic.

Thank you Christopher. I agree about the current atmosphere in DC.
It seems to me that behind most outwardly seemingly evil behavior is one, some or all of these: Money, Power, Revenge, Lust.
This does not necessarily translate to evil intent, however. Bring it down to the everyday person. Think, Money = paycheck, the resulting Power to send the kid to soccer camp…you get my drift.
One example: Those who favor preventing reintroduced predators in Western states will point out that historically ranchers loose stock to these predators. They come to view conservation in terms of their livelihood being threatened. However, some very bright and committed conservationists have partnered with ranchers who are also committed to wildlife conservation. Seems that there are methods of stock management that largely resolves the problem, particularly where there is thought given to where reintroduction takes place, including ensuring that easier natural prey is available. Biologist/researcher Farley Mowat’s 1963 autobiography “Never Cry Wolf” alone taught us that.Great film too.
I have also read about villages throughout African countries where those trying to save endangered elephants were at odds with villagers whose crops were being devoured by same. Well the villagers gotta feed themselves and their children, right? Briefly, here was the fix: Chili peppers and beehives. It seems the peppers offend the elephant’s noses, and that elephant’s are afraid of bees. Who knew? They figured it out. Not everything is so elegantly resolved, but most things can be given the will to work together.
The upshot is, working together, both goals can be achieved. And the atmosphere recently created in Washington does not allow for that kind of harmony and singularity of purpose. Maybe they should go visit a few African villages.

And of course, in both case, it took just a slightly longer vision to see that preserving wildlife was a net ECONOMIC gain to the wider community (eco-tourism, for instance). Criminal myopia + ideology is a toxic cocktail.

This has been going on for almost,20 years. If Obama hadn’t of handed to the state of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, control on how they handled the wolves, we wouldn’t be seeing this as such an escalation.

WRONG! It was the GOP federal congress that enacted that legislation–recall they’ve had control of federal House since 2010 and then federal Senate since 2012 –please get your facts straight vs misleading and deceiving others like your favored GOP Nazi Party of U.S. subscribes to as Civic’s class will confirm what I’m saying iefederal House enacts and votes ion legislation then the federal Senate and the history under Obama was that critically important pcs of legislative ‘amendments’ were bartered on and eliminated or hypocritically removed by federal level,GOP! It’s important to follow these federal congressional patterns vs any billionaire media news–especially Fox as Fox ALWAYS twists facts into their 24/7 propaganda directly from heinous billionaires!

Patricia–It is also critical to watch for ideological patterns carried out over time by checking voting records and proposed legislation at both federal and state levels and the GOP has ALWYS chosen the unbalance in nature leading to delisting and decimating of species carried out now by the federal GOP and their underlings as Commissioners of the Dept of FishnandvWildlife–these commissioners operate under federal jurisdiction NOT state level congresses nor governors

Why do we continue the battle with the Endangered Species Act? This Act must be permanent. Our environment must have a balance with wildlife and humans. Sent information to assist in this criminal effort by Republicans.

There are so many Endangered animals. We need each and every one of them. The Endangered Species Act is here for a GREAT reason. LEAVE this alone. I agree that it is always the Republicans, Lets start KILLING the animals. I agree Washington is the PROBLEM!

Great cause and I hope we, as smart and conscious people, can save these precious animals. Thanks for your hard work. Please let’s stop hunting and poaching for good. And I agree with one comment above, I also don’t like Republicans as they don’t care for anything but themselves and their pockets.

Each side has their own point. But, Instead of making an effort to better protect our nation’s wildlife, the Senate appears to be taking us in the opposite direction. This is an early attempt to wriggle out of the government’s legal responsibility to prevent extinction.

Incredible reason and I trust we, as shrewd and cognizant individuals, can spare these valuable creatures. Much obliged for your diligent work. It would be ideal if you how about we quit chasing and poaching for good. What’s more, I concur with one remark above, I likewise don’t care for Republicans as they couldn’t care less to anything however themselves and their pockets.